The Art and Science of Cardas Audio
Cardas Audio brings together conductor technology, carefully selected materials and hand craftsmanship, with one purpose: preserving the music as it travels through your system. Its design philosophy considers every detail—from individual copper strands to insulation, shielding and the final connection.
At the heart of Cardas construction are ultra-pure copper Litz conductors, with each strand individually insulated to protect against oxidation and unwanted interaction. Golden Ratio scaling and Constant Q stranding arrange different-sized strands in precise layers to address resonance. Crossfield construction reverses the direction of alternating layers, while carefully selected insulation materials complement the conductor geometry.
Cardas’s patented Matched Propagation technology further develops this approach by addressing the relationship between signal propagation in the conductor and its surrounding insulation. Used throughout the Clear family, it is designed to preserve subtle information, timing and dynamic expression. These technologies, combined with custom connectors and hand termination, reflect Cardas’s attention to both engineering and construction.
The cable collection spans interconnects, speaker cables, power cords, phono and tonearm cables, headphone cables, and digital connections including coaxial, AES/EBU, USB and Ethernet. Product families include Clear Beyond, Clear, Clear Reflection, Clear Cygnus, Clear Sky, Clear SE9 MP, Parsec, Iridium, Crosslink and 101 Speaker—offering choices from entry-level systems to flagship installations.
Beyond cables, Cardas offers adaptors, bi-wire jumpers, cable and equipment lifters, contact conditioner, grounding wire, Nautilus power strips, RFI/EMI protective caps, turntable accessories and the Frequency Sweep & Burn-In LP. Its broader collection includes earspeakers and music releases, alongside bulk cable, chassis wire, copper strands, connectors, solder and supplies for manufacturers and audio enthusiasts.
Together, these products carry the Cardas philosophy throughout the system: thoughtful design, careful construction and attention to the connections that bring music to life.
The Cardas Audio Story
The Cardas Audio Story
George Cardas’s journey into cable design began with his work as a telephone-company engineer, where he learned the challenges of transmitting audio over wire. A music enthusiast himself, he applied that experience to his home system, exploring how conductor materials, geometry and insulation influenced reproduction.
His experiments led to designs combining individually insulated copper strands with Golden Ratio proportions. In 1987, he founded Cardas Audio in Ontario, California. Early cables were terminated in the family garage, and encouragement from friends and the company’s first dealer helped turn a personal pursuit into a growing business.
In 1992, George and his wife, Darcy, moved Cardas Audio to Bandon, Oregon. Over the following decades, designs such as Hexlink and Golden Cross gave way to Neutral Reference and Golden Reference, reflecting an ongoing pursuit of greater transparency and musical detail.
That development continued with patented Matched Propagation conductors. Drawing on a problem familiar from telecommunications—the relationship between conductors and their surrounding insulation—George developed a solution built into the cable’s geometry. This technology became a foundation of the Clear family.
Today, Cardas remains a family-run company, managed by George and Darcy’s daughter Angela, with George continuing as head designer. Its history is one of persistent experimentation, careful craftsmanship and a lifelong interest in bringing listeners closer to music.
Experience Cardas Audio at PERCON Audio
PERCON Audio offers personal guidance in selecting Cardas Audio cables for your system. Contact us to discuss interconnects, speaker cables and power cords, including the right lengths and terminations for your equipment. Ask about current pricing and availability.